


That's all I ask

by SmileDesu



Series: V2 [28]
Category: Young Avengers
Genre: Alternate Scene, Fix-It, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-08 17:10:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7766308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmileDesu/pseuds/SmileDesu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An alternate take on the 2013 run's issue 1 argument scene</p>
            </blockquote>





	That's all I ask

Billy wasn't unused to nights without Teddy. Just because they lived together didn't mean they had to be together 100% of the time, and not only because they still lived with Billy's family. Different hobbies; different friends; a lack of mental hit-points; these were just a handful of reasons why Teddy and Billy spent time apart, so Billy didn't think much of it that night when Teddy called it in early and retreated to his room. Come to think about it, he's been doing that more and more in recent weeks, but again, they weren't attached at the hip. If Teddy needed time to himself, who was Billy to deny him that? Besides, if something _was_ up, Teddy would've told him so, right?  
  
It was that line of thought that left him so unprepared when the truth came out. It would've been so easy to miss it, too, another obvious clickbait in the sea of lies and false advertisement that filled Billy's screen. "Another Skrull invasion?!" He had already scrolled past it, only to scroll back up the next moment, the realization of what he had actually read giving him pause. The last few times that sort of thing happened, Teddy was caught up in the crossfire. Now, true, Billy had hung up his cape, but there was no harm in clicking, save for maybe a pop-up, right? Especially if there was a sliver of truth to it. It never hurt to be prepared, he concluded, and despite a growing sense of dread, clicked the link.  
Oh, how he wished he hadn't. The article itself as well as the comments were useless, torn between panic and apathetic cynicism, neither side being too informative or even entertaining. But there was the one thing that caught Billy's eye that refused to drift out of his mind the very next moment - the photo. Yes, there was a photo, and suddenly nothing else mattered. It was blurry, and out of focus, and _God_ the lighting was _horrible_ , but he could make out just enough for the figure in the photo to be _familiar_. But that was impossible, it couldn't be... he wouldn't keep from him like that, Billy insisted, even as he pushed himself up and out to the hall.  
Maybe he shouldn't, he thought and lowered his hand, refraining from knocking on the door to Teddy's room just yet. Odds were good that photo was edited, right? Especially with that bad quality... Teddy could just be busy, or asleep, or raiding, or-- or not even in his room, was the reality Billy had to face when despite it all, he reached for the handle and let himself in unannounced. The computer was on standby; the bed was empty - tidy, even; and the window? The window was _open_. Eyes closed and shoulders dropping, Billy had trouble breathing as something sank inside him. He took several clumsy steps before sitting heavily down on the bed, feeling detached from the moment. Teddy was out there, in uniform, using his powers, all "hulked-out"... and Billy never heard a word of it. He kept it all from him. How long? Alone? Who else? ... _why_?! Unable to support his own weight, Billy leaned forward, elbows on his knees and hands covering the lower half of his face. To think Teddy would keep something this big from him... How did it come to this?  
  
Rustles came from outside the window. How long had he been there, Billy didn't know, nor did he care. What mattered was that someone was climbing in through the window, and despite the unfamiliar getup, Billy knew well who it was. It hurt him even worse than before, seeing it in person, but rather than looking away, he reached for the bedside lamp and turned it on. Teddy froze, tensing as he slowly turned around , eyes wide, expression not unlike panic and horror. Billy only managed to find his voice again when he looked away, brows furrowed into a pained frown.  
  
"When were you going to tell me?"  
There wasn't as much anger in it as hurt. Teddy refrained from answering at first, instead hugging himself and leaning against the wall. The anger came when he completely dodged the question.  
  
"How did you find out?"  
  
Billy pinched the bridge of his nose. "Footage from someone in the tenements blew up over the internet. Everyone's saying 'new Skrull invasion'."  
  
Neither said much after that. Billy tried to keep it in, as anything that came to mind sounded too angry, too hurtful, and was likely to make matters worse. Teddy on his part simply seemed lost.  
  
"I'm sorry," Teddy finally said, a frown on his face. "That's not how I wanted you to find out."  
  
"Oh, it's _not_?!" Billy snapped, no longer able to keep the bitterness at bay. He pushed himself up, staring at Teddy incredulously. "How _was_ I supposed to find out, Ted? What, when _Captain America_ and _Jessica Jones_ showed up at my doorstep, bearing _bad news_ like they did for Cassie's mom?! Telling me I lost someone else?!"  
  
"So was _I_ supposed to lose _you_?!"  
  
The exclamation, honest and raw, caught Billy by surprise. He blinked, then frowned, then his expression bled into something else, softer, despite his anger - he couldn't really hold onto it in full when Teddy seemed ready to _break_.  
  
"I _wanted_ to tell you, _God_ , I wanted to, I came up with so many ways to say the same thing, but-" He looked at Billy, eyes pleading. He met warm curiosity in those brown eyes, and so went on. "But either something came up, or you were having _one of your days_ , or--" he bit his lip, looked away, then looked at Billy again, a miserable look on his face. "Or I kept seeing you going back to the windowsill. And _I_ couldn't go through _that_ again, Billy! I couldn't!"  
  
_Oh_ , rang through Billy's head, as all the pieces fell into place. He said nothing, however, letting Teddy continue. Teddy hesitated, braced for impact, but when Billy kept quiet he deflated and looked away. When he finally continued, it was in a voice both low and reserved.  
  
"All my life, it was me and my mom, until I got the team... and I got _you_. Then I _lost_ my mom, but I still had you, and your family was crazy enough to take me in, hell, they even took Tommy in! And I thought, I really thought I'd manage, and for a while I _did_! But then we disbanded, and you went _comatose_ , and you're _better_ now, and I couldn't be happier about that!"  
It was the first time either tried to close the distance when Teddy reached for Billy, and oh, did Billy want to reach back, but then Teddy came to a stop, half clenched fists dropping to his sides.  
"But we both know it's not the same, not 100%... and I'm sorry, but it's just-- it's _not_ \-- it's--"  
  
" _Enough_ ," Billy interjected, making Teddy freeze as he wasn't sure how the mage meant it. He didn't manage to fear it for too long, not with the warm, apologetic look in Billy's eyes.  
"It's not enough."  
  
It took Teddy a moment to recover from the surprise at that statement. Then he nodded, and tugged at his shirt, eyes downcast at the pattern running across it.  
"I _needed_ this, Billy. _God_ , I needed this..."  
  
A silence fell while Billy watched Teddy struggle with his thoughts. Finally he seemed to have decided on _something_ because he kept glancing at Billy. Billy in response tilted his head, an attempt to silently encourage Teddy to say what was on his mind. Teddy looked down again and smoothed his hands over his shirt slowly.  
  
"If I had told you sooner, how--"  
  
"--Would I have reacted?"  
Teddy nodded. Billy sighed heavily.  
"We'll never know now, will we? I'm not by the window yet, though!"  
  
"Yeah, I see that..." Teddy nodded, and the guilt and regret in his voice were enough to make Billy wince now that his anger had quelled some. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration before taking one step to close the distance between them.  
  
"Look, just... _tell_ me next time, ok? Even a small heads up would be nice. I shouldn't have to find out through _yamblr_."  
  
The most frustrating thing yet wasn't the relief evident in Teddy's eyes - it was the surprise.  
"There will be a next time?"  
  
Billy glared aside at an unseen audience before shrugging. "That's really up to _you_ , isn't it? And I mean, you even got a brand new getup and all. Purple, though...?"  
  
"No, I mean--"  
It was Teddy's turn to close the distance. "You don't mind?"  
  
Billy closed his eyes; what little anger he had left in him was aimed at himself. To think he made Teddy feel so alone he had to ask...  
"Do I mind the _sneaking around_ , and the _lies_? _Not_ a fan, Ted."  
  
"Sorry..."  
  
"That's the third time you said that."  
  
Teddy winced in response, and Billy couldn't help but feel some amount of satisfaction at that. Still, that wasn't what he was aiming at anymore, and so he continued after a sigh, his voice free from admonishment.  
"Do I _mind_ that my _partner_ is neck-deep in The Life again, putting himself in harm's way again? I won't lie, I'd sleep better at night without it." It was the simple truth, but it was enough to make Teddy brace for impact again, brows furrowed and shoulders hunched. That made him look up with confusion when Billy closed the distance, hands running over Teddy's arms. "Do I _mind_ that you've out there, helping people? That you're fighting the good fight, doing what's right? For _you_ , first and foremost? Teddy, I knew what this relationship would be like the moment I first laid eyes on you. I mean--"  
Billy's touch was gentle when he brought his hands to Teddy's face, fingers resting under his chin and making him look up at the mage. There were still traces of doubt left in the blue depths, and Billy would be damned if he didn't set that one point straight.  
"I fell in love with a superhero."  
  
There were so many things Teddy could've said to that; there was nothing he could say to that. At long last he brought his hands to Billy's sides and from there to his back, holding him gently against him. Billy wore a soft smile as he pulled closer, pressing against Teddy. His hands moved to the back of Teddy's neck, thumbs poking at his ears.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Fourth time you said that," Billy snickered fondly and rubbed a finger over Teddy's nape, only to stop when that made Teddy squirm, or was it the disgruntled look Teddy gave him?  
  
"Well, I _am_ \--"  
  
"That makes if five--"  
  
"Screw you, I take that last one back!" Teddy declared without any true malice, not even when Billy laughed at his outburst. The playful mood didn't last, however, giving way to something softer again, almost fragile, when Teddy rested his forehead against Billy's.  
"I'll definitely tell you next time, and the one after that, too. No more secrets, or lies. I'll be honest with you... I'll trust you."  
  
"That's all I ask."  
  
The kiss that followed spoke of relief and longing, a long, slow touch they both needed more than they realized. The meshing of lips, the mingling breaths, it all brought them back to where they were supposed to be, to how things were supposed to be between them. Even when it broke they stayed close, neither eager to pull too far away.  
  
"We're such horrible saps, aren't we?"  
  
"I'm pretty sure that's why Tommy really moved out."  
  
"Makes sense," Teddy concluded with a small laugh and finally let Billy pull away. They gazed into each other's eyes until Teddy glanced at the bed, then motioned his head towards it. Billy bit his lower lip and groaned. Oh, that sounded _wonderful_ , but--  
  
"We better not," came the verdict as he pulled farther away. "It's late--"  
  
"Yeah. Yeah..." Teddy hurried to agree and scratched the back of his neck. "Better not."  
  
"Tomorrow, though."  
  
"Tomorrow, definitely."  
  
Grinning, Billy leaned in to steal another kiss before finally taking his leave. Door closed behind him, he let out a heavy breath before slowly making his way to his room. It was a good talk, ultimately, just one he wished they had had sooner. It served to remind Billy of just how little Teddy had in his life, and how helpless Billy ultimately was to help him with some of it. It made him restless, leaving him to pace through his room instead of getting some sleep. It felt like there was something missing, something that should happen, almost like there was a voice in the back of his head egging him to do something about it.  
  
_So many_ better _realities... Who knows what needle you could find?_  
  
Billy clenched his fists which the next moment began glowing bright blue. He decided, after Cassie, after Jonas and Nathaniel, that he wouldn't use his powers again. But with great power came great responsibility, right? And it was his responsibility to see what he could do for his partner in his time of need.  
  
" _All possible realities--_ "


End file.
